Running Smoothly
by Mystic8668
Summary: When Liz's parents leave her the Crashdown to take care of for the weekend and Michael is nowhere to be found, Max is left to be the cook.


Running Smoothly  
  
Summary: When Liz's parents leave her the Crashdown to take care of for the weekend and Michael is nowhere to be found, Max is left to be the cook.  
  
Disclaimer: Roswell isn't mine, but this story is.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
It was already quarter to eight in the morning and Michael was still yet to show up for work at the Crashdown. Liz's father had left her in charge of the Crashdown while her parents went away for the weekend. She was freaking out. He was supposed to be there already to help Maria and her set up. Maria had called his apartment once every five minutes because of Liz's insistance. There was no answer.  
  
Maria began to stare at Liz she looked like she was going to hyperventilate, "Liz, are you okay?"  
  
"Maria, my parents left me in charge for the weekend. They didn't just close down the diner they actually left me in charge, and it's going to be horrible if you or me attempt to cook no offense,"  
  
"None taken."  
  
"But if Michael doesn't show up soon I'm going to kill him!" Liz started to shout.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa chica calm down, here to a whiff of this." Maria said handing her vial of cypris oil to her best friend who desperately needed to calm her nerves. Liz snatched it out of her hand and inhaled deeply.  
  
"This aromatherapy stuff actually works?" She asked her friend.  
  
"Of course it does," Maria said than her eyes lit up, "I've got an idea. I know who can be our cook for the day until I go find spaceboy later and yell at him."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Max of course. You've got that boy so whipped he would do anything for you, besides Isabel said one day he doesn't burn water so he's better than either of us."  
  
"Maria..." Liz started to disagree than changed her mind, "Do you really think he would?"  
  
"Of course." Maria stated matter-of-factly.  
  
Liz ran back to the break room and dialed Max's number. She glanced at the clock as it rang, ten minutes to eight. People will start coming soon, and Alex will be wanting his pancakes.  
  
"Hello?" Max's voice asked from the other end of the line.  
  
"Hey Max...I have a question for you."  
  
"Let me guess, what's the best thing to do at eight o'clock in the morning? My answer is sleep." He said rolling over on his bed rubbing his eyes.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry I woke you up! Well, that wasn't my question, my question is how much do you love me." She said keeping her eyes glued to the clock.  
  
"With all my heart. My existence would mean nothing if it wasn't for you I...." He got cut off when Liz began to speak hurriedly.  
  
"Great! Than you'll be over to the Crashdown before eight so you can cook since Michael didn't feel like showing up. Ok, love you bye!" She hung up before he could say anymore, which left him staring at the phone comprehending the conversation.  
  
"So he's coming?" Maria asked from the breakroom doorway which she was leaning against.  
  
"I don't know, I kind of didn't give him a chance to tell me yes or no." Liz bit her lip, "Do you think I should call him back and apologise? I mean I'm just so stressed."  
  
"Of course not Lizzie, as if he could ever say no to you."  
  
They made their rounds making sure the sugar dispensers filled and each booth had a good amount of the essentials like tobasco. Right as the clock struck eight and Liz was hurrying around making sure everything was perfect, Max walked in.  
  
"Girlfriend!" Maria shouted, "Thank gawd you're here. I'll take you to the kitchen to give you what you need and show you how to work the oven. Come on." She grabbed his arm and rushed him back to the kitchen.  
  
Liz gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as he was dragged by. What had he gotten himelf into?  
  
"Liz! Michael has the apron Max needs an apron!" Maria shouted looking out to her friend from the kitchen. Max stood silent by the stove looking at the grease.  
  
"Oh um there's a box in the breakroom with everything he needs." She answered straightening napkins in napkin holders.  
  
The bell on the door dinged and Alex walked in, "You know they'll just get messed up anyways." He said walking past sitting on a bar stool at the counter.  
  
"You're right....you're right." She said regaining her composure and coming over to him pen and pad of paper in hand, "So pancakes with strawberries and syrup with orange juice right?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
She ripped off the paper and hung it where the other orders went and went back to greet the other customers now arriving. Meanwhile Maria found the box and took it the kitchen for Max.  
  
"Apron." She said handing him one with pink bunnies.  
  
"Isn't this the kind for play school and stuff like that? It has bunnies." Max said holding it out in front of him.  
  
"Yeah it is, me and Liz used to play with it when we were little it was always too big for us but it should fit you now." She took out a box and pulled out one of the contents handing it to him.  
  
"Hairnet?" He said sadly taking it out of her hand.  
  
"Hairnet. Michael brings those bandanas on his own, next time, girlfriend, you better be prepared. I'm going assume that you know how to use the stove and oven right?"  
  
"Yeah and if not we Czeckslovokians catch on quick."  
  
"Good, and look you've already got some orders so I better skidaddle. Good luck, girlfriend." With that Maria left the kitchen and went to take orders.  
  
He washed his hands and grabbed an order. Max stared at the order in his hand. Pancakes and orange juice. Not so hard he thought. He grabbed the nearest box of bisquick and did as he was instructed by the box. He walked off tp the other side of the room to get the orange juice grabbing it out of the refridgerator and pouring it into the glass. He set it on the tray and went to get the pancakes. They were burning. Uh oh he thought. He grabbed the turner scraping it off the pan. The complete bottom side was black.  
  
"Oh no oh no oh no." He started to panic the stove was smoking. He used his powers to make it disappear. Good as new he thought. Quickly he took some sliced strawberries and set them next the pancakes and got a container of syrup, dinged the bell and they were delivered to Alex.  
  
I pity whoever gets that he thought.  
  
Alex started to cough and sputter out the pancakes, "What's wrong with Michael today, decide I needed some welldone pancakes?" Alex said rhetorically and loudly. Max looked out and saw Alex. Sorry he mouthed.  
  
"Oh it's Max. Wait since when does Max cook?"  
  
"Since Michael decided to join a cult that's anti-coming to work." Maria said walking by carrying coffee to a booth nearby.  
  
"What?"  
  
"He just didn't show up today."  
  
Max took the next order down, a chocolate cake. It's only eight in the morning! Nobody needs cake! He thought angrily only because he had no idea how to make a cake. The cake from on the counter in the cake and pie holder was already gone and never got refilled.  
  
He went to the box of recipes and found one for chocolate cake. He followed it through fine until it said to add the vanilla.  
  
"Who would want vanilla extract in cake." He muttered. Walking back to the breakroom Max knew Michael kept tobasco sauce in his locker, from when the diner was running low. Holding his hand over the lock he heard it click open and he took it off. Finding the tobasco he went back to the kitchen. He had left the recipe on the stove and it had cooked into it.  
  
"I ruined the recipe!" Max said to himself hoping Maria or Liz hadn't heard.  
  
"How's it going back there?" Liz asked through the window. If he had managed to ruin Alex's pancakes he probably couldn't take care of much else. She didn't say that though because she didn't want to hurt his feelings.  
  
"Oh...uh....fine, great really." Max managed to stutter out. Content with his answer she went back to the tables.  
  
Max couldn't remember how much vanilla he was supposed to but in the cake so he dumped the whole bottle of tobasco into the batter. Than he held his hand over the mold cooking it so he could just send it to the customer. Putting it an to go box he put it on the kitchen window where Liz or Maria could get it. A lady was waiting at the counter for it to be given to her.  
  
"Oh honey I think I'll just try some of it here now."  
  
"Alright." Liz said going into the kitchen not paying attention to Max who was trying to hide the mess of other foods he'd managed to make. She grabbed a plate, fork, and knife and walked out while saying to him, "Can you please hurry people are getting restless."  
  
A few mishaps with bacon and eggs later a shriek came from one of the booths.  
  
"What is wrong with your cake!? It's hot! Like there's hot sauce or something in it! Cake is not supposed to be like this!" She got up from the booth, taking everyone along with her except for Alex, Maria, Liz, and Max. The other customers had thought up their own reasons what was wrong with the cake that included rat poison, and anything else you could think of.  
  
"Somebody's in trouble." Alex said quietly to Maria as Liz's face turned mutiple shades of red. She went back into the kitchen.  
  
"Max if you couldn't handle cooking here you should have said something!" She started out shouting getting down to her normal speaking voice.  
  
"I'm sorry Liz I just didn't want you to be disappointed." He said back.  
  
"See he's so whipped." Maria said to Alex who tried to hide his laughter. At that moment another alien boy walked into the diner.  
  
"Forgot to set my alarm clock, and I had the phone ringer off." Michael said putting on his apron.  
  
Liz took her gaze from Max and walked out of the kitchen to where Michael was standing, "You," She said pointing at him, "you have an answering machine Maria left you messages. My parents left me to watch the diner and make sure thing ran smoothly while they were gone." Liz said angrily as she turned the sign on the door from open to closed.  
  
"Things can't run smoothly when the cook doesn't show up." Maria said poking him in the stomach.  
  
"So does that mean I don't get paid for today?"  
  
"Yes!" Liz, Maria, and Max shouted simultaneously.  
  
"Oo cake." He said sitting in the booth where the lady had sat. He picked up the fork and took a bite, "There's already tobasco!" He began eating the rest. Maria hit him and Liz through her hands in the air while Max stood silently and Alex laughed.  
  
R/R 


End file.
